Apparatus for placing gases and liquids into intimate contact



J. MORITZ Oct. 11, 1966 APPARATUS FOR PLACING GASES AND LIQUIDS INTOINTIMATE CONTACT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15, 1963 (/EAN Moe/72 J.MORITZ APPARATUS FOR PLACING GASES AND LIQUIDS INTO INTIMATE CONTACTFiled Aug. 15, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AWi/WM United States Patent3,278,170 APPARATUS FOR PLACING GASES AND LIQUIDS INTO INTIMATE CONTACTJean Moritz, 3 Rue de Pomereu, Chatou, Seine-et-Oise, France Filed Aug.15, 1963, Ser. No. 302,271 9 Claims. '(Cl. 261-29) This inventionrelates to an apparatus for placing gases and liquids into intimatecontact, especially in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, and has theaim of providing an apparatus intended to mix gases and liquidsintimately with an efliciency superior to that of the apparatuses knOWnhitherto.

This apparatus is intended more particularly for contact betweenanhydride and acid and water in the manufacture of sulphuric acid.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises a container for theliquid with which gas is to be mixed, in combination with an annularoutlet nozzle which is disposed in the container and which is comprisedof two circular plates that are spaced apart and are coaxial about anupright axis with their radially outer edges defining between them anannular outlet orifice Which is positioned to be immersed in the liquidin the container. A circular deflector is coaxial with and is spacedbetween the plates, the deflector having opposite upper and lowersurfaces that converge radially outwardly. Means are provided forintroducing a gas downwardly against the upper surface of the deflector,and means are also provided for projecting a liquid upwardly against thelower surface of the deflector, thereby to promote parallel flow of theliquid and the gas radially outwardly beyond the deflector.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the deflector is carried by ashaft which extends through a gas supply conduit, this shaft beingpreferably the drive shaft of an impeller such as a helical screw whichimpels the liquid against the underside of the deflector. It is alsopreferred that liquid supply means be provided for the container, andalso that batfle means be provided in the path of exiting gas so as toelongate the gas path. It is further preferred that an upright conduitbe fixed in the container with the nozzle disposed coaxially with andintermediate the ends of the conduit, and that the container be closedbut have a gas outlet. It is further pre ferred that the nozzle plateshave confronting surfaces that converge radially outwardly, and that thedeflector be spaced from the means that project liquid against itsunderside, in the direction of liquid flow toward the deflector means.

By way of example there will be described hereinafter a form ofembodiment and variants, in accordance with the invention, withreference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a profile view in vertical axial section of the said form ofembodiment, and

FIGURES 2 to 7 are partial profile views representing six variants.

In the drawing, the apparatus as represented in FIG- URE 1 permits ofensuring the gas-liquid contact by reason of the formation of a liquidfilm which encounters the gas to be treated or to be absorbed, theliquid and gas then proceeding radially outwardly in the compressionzone of a nozzle comparable to a Vent'uri nozzle, but of annular form.

The assembly comprises a tank a in which there is situated the liquid tobe placed in contact with the gas.

At the center there is situated a vertical shaft b driven at the upperpart by a mechanism c composed for example otf pulleys, belts and motor.This drive can however be situated equally beneath the tank.

A packing gland d is placed at the passage of the shaft. At the lowerend of the shaft, in the liquid, there is situated a helical turbine eor a suitably hooded centrifugal turbine, then a fixed annular fluiddeflection member or deflector which may be adjustable in height, thenon the periphery two fixed flanges g and h of adjustable spacing. Atubular jacket or conduit i maintains the whole on the cover j of thetank.

The adjustment of the height of the deflector f is effected by verticaldisplacement of the shaft b by means for example of a splined sleeve bsliding on a similarly splined portion b of the shaft b. The sleeve bpossesses a coaxial ring which bears upon a roller at the end of an armI) which is movable vertically under the action of a worm b operable bymeans of a hand wheel b The gas to be treated arrives through k andissues through I after having passed through a cylindrical circularcollar m very close to the center, which is intended to compel the gasto travel a long path, and a conical perforated screen n can be placedin the path of the gas.

The acid or liquid in circulation in the apparatus enters at p andissues through a device 0 the height of which is regulable by the handwheel q.

In a first variant represented in FIGURE 2, the helical turbine devicecan be replaced by a projection cone composed for example of a lowercone provided internally with helical vanes r and an upper inverted conepierced with holes over the entire surface s. By the rotation of theshaft b the liquid, the level of which is in this case generally that ofg, is projected into the interval from the base of the tube 1' until themoment when the gas-liquid mixture is compressed in passing through thespace between the nozzles h and g.

The variation of the rotation speed adjusts the quantity of liquidplaced in contact with the gas.

In the case of a great gas-liquid flow, FIGURE 3 rep resents a secondvariant comprising a device having two systems of nozzles in parallel,supplied like that in FIG- URE 1. The helical pump e sends liquid inparallel into the two sets of nozzles h g and h -g passing through theconcentric tube s, while the gas arriving from the tube i is dividedtowards the nozzle h g and passes through the passages fl-t to arrive atthe nozzle h -g This same arrangement can be reproduced a plurality oftimes along the shaft in such manner as to increase further the passagesections and consequently the flows of gas and liquid.

The liquid film which forms in the nozzle encounters the gas in a moreor less dense layer, and in order afterward to increase the contact timein the nozzle, the flanges h and g of this nozzle can be provided withsinusoidal baffles, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, which represent a thirdand a fourth variant respectively, the spacing of the two nozzles beingpossibly regulable from the exterior in order to modify theeffectiveness.

With the aim of further improving the gas-liquid contact, FIG. -6represents a fifth variant in which an annular flat coil v is placedbetween the two flanges h and g of the outlet nozzle. The coil v iscomposed either of an outer cage of metal gauze filled with concentricmetal wires or wires placed in undulating coils, or by a cage of metalgauze filled either with rings of the Raschig kind or with variousparallel fibers of textile materials, synthetic materials, glass, etc.,of more or less fine diameter, these fibers having a capillary effectupon the liquid which they retain, thus improving the contact with thegas passing through the coil.

These latter arrangements can be used with the multiple nozzlearrangements as represented in FIGURE 3.

According to a sixth variant, represented in FIG- URE 7, the helical orcentrifugal turbine controlled by the rotation shaft b is replaced by acentrifugal pump P or other pump, which is placed outside the tank d anddelivers the liquid for example to the bottom of the entry of thejacket.

In order to adjust the spacing of the flanges h and g, by way of examplethere is provided a mechanism comprising a stirrup x fast with a rod ypassing through the bottom of the container a and operable vertically bymeans of an eccentric z lodged in a recess a arranged below thecontainer a.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for placing gas and liquid into intimate contact,comprising a container for the liquid, an annular outlet nozzle disposedin the container and comprised of two circular plates that are spacedapart and coaxial about an upright axis with their radially outer edgesdefining between them an annular outlet orifice which is positioned tobe immersed in the liquid, a circular deflector coaxial with and spacedbetween the plates, the deflector having substantially smooth,unobstructed opposite upper and lower surfaces that converge radiallyoutwardly, means for introducing a gas downwardly against said uppersurface of the deflector, and means for projecting a liquid upwardlyagainst said lower surface of the deflector thereby to promote parallelflow of liquid and gas radially outwardly beyond the deflector, saiddeflect-or being spaced from said projecting means in the direction ofliquid fl'ow toward said deflector.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim -1, and a gas inlet conduit, and ashaft disposed in the gas inlet conduit and supporting said deflector.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and an upright drive shaft, impellermeans for the liquid disposed on the lower end of the shaft, saiddeflector being carried by the shaft above said impeller means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and means for introducing liquidinto the container.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and baffle means for elongating thepath of travel of the gas in the container.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, and an upright conduit fixed insaid container, said nozzle being disposed coaxially with andintermediate the ends of the conduit, the container being closed buthaving a gas outlet.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said nozzle plates havingconfronting surfaces that converge radially outwardly.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said deflector being spaced fromsaid projecting means in the direction of liquid flow toward saiddeflector.

9. Apparatus for placing gas and liquid into intimate contact,comprising a container for the liquid, and upright conduit fixed in saidcontainer, an annular outlet nozzle disposed coaxially with andintermediate the ends of the conduit, said nozzle being comprised of twocircular plates that are spaced apart and coaxial about an upright axiswith their radially outer edges defining b..- tween them an annularoutlet orifice which is positioned to be immersed in the liquid, saidnozzle plates having confronting surfaces that converge radiallyoutwardly, a circular deflector coaxial with and spaced between thenozzle plates, the deflector having substantially smooth, unobstructedopposite upper and lower surfaces that converge radially outwardly,means for introducing a gas downwardly against said upper surface of thedeflector, and means for projecting a liquid upwardly against said lowersurface of the deflector thereby to promote parallel flow of liquid andgas radially outwardly beyond the deflector, said deflector being spacedfrom said projecting means in the direction of liquid flow toward saiddeflector.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,771,321 7/1930Snow 261-93 2,246,559 6/1941 Weinig 261-93 2,308,751 1/1943 Guthrie etal 26-1-93 2,530,814 11/1950 Becze et al 26193 2,767,965 10/1956 Daman26193 X 3,053,390 9/1962 Wood 261-93 X OTHER REFERENCES Germanapplication No. 1,050,316, Koppers, pub. Feb. 12, 1959.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT F. BURNETT, Examiner.

T. R. MILES, Assistant Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR PLACING GAS AND LIQUID INTO INTIMATE CONTACT,COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR THE LIQUID, AN ANNULAR OUTLET NOZZLE DISPOSEDIN THE CONTAINER AND COMPRISED OF TWO CIRCULAR PLATES THAT ARE SPACEDAPART AND COAXIAL ABOUT AN UPRIGHT AXIS WITH THEIR RADIALLY OUTER EDGESDEFINING BETWEEN THEM AN ANNULAR OUTLET ORIFICE WHICH IS POSITIONED BETO BE IMMERSED IN THE LIQUID, A CIRCULAR DEFLECTOR COAXIAL WITH ANDSPACED BETWEEN THE PLATES, THE DEFLECTOR HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH,UNOBSTRUCTED OPPOSITE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES THAT CONVERGE RADIALLYOUTWARDLY, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A GAS DOWNWARDLY AGAINST SAID UPPERSURFACE OF THE DEFLECTOR, AND MEANS FOR PROJECTING A LIQUID UPWARDLYAGAINST SAID LOWER SURFACE OF THE DEFLECTOR THEREBY TO PROMOTE PARALLELFLOW OF LIQUID AND GAS RADIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE DEFLECTOR, SAIDDEFLECTOR BEING SPACED FROM SAID PROJECTING MEANS IN THE DIRECTION OFLIQUID FLOW TOWARD SAID DEFLECTOR.